Village People to headline Long Beach Gay Pride Festival May 20

LONG BEACH — Young man, I'm sure you can find many ways to have a good time, ... when the Village People of "Y.M.C.A." fame take the stage.

The campy disco dance group will be the headline act May 20 at the 29th annual Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival, organizers announced Monday.

"I would say we're very happy," said Frank Rubio, chair of entertainment at the event. "They're certainly an iconic group that brings back a lot of fond memories."

Rubio says this is the second time the group has performed at the Festival that he is aware of.

The Village People are the second big get for the festival, which announced in April that Grammy-winner Queen Latifah would be making her first appearance in a pride event of any kind as the main act May 19.

"We were very fortunate," Rubio said of booking both the Village People and Queen Latifah. "The buzz is definitely out there."

Ever since Village People burst onto the disco scene in 1977, the group, founded by the late Jacques Morali, has been a favorite not only in the gay community, but also at events from weddings to baseball games.

In 2009, a Guinness world record was set when 44,000 people danced to a live rendition of the song at the Sun Bowl game in Texas.

Dubbed the "Kings of Disco," they have sold more than 100 million recordings worldwide, including "Y.M.C.A," "Macho Man" and "In the Navy." The six-man crew still features three of its six original members, and lead vocalist Ray Simpson, the cop character, has been with the group since 1979.

The Village People are in the midst of a national tour and will be touring Australia and New Zealand in November.

Last year, 80,000 people came out to the Long Beach festival and parade, which is the city's second-largest event next to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Long Beach's pride event is the second-largest gay pride event in Southern California and the nation's fourth largest. San Francisco, New York and West Hollywood are the top three.

The Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. May 19 and May 20. Admission is $20. Information is available online at longbeachpride.com or by phone at 562-987-9191.